Surviving University as a Commuter Student
6.30am: My alarm goes off.
6.40am: My alarm goes off (again).
6.45am: I roll out of bed into the shower.
7.10am: I head to my car with a coffee in hand ready to face the morning traffic
8am: I just about make it onto the car park (relief!).
8.05am: Put on my makeup (this saves me vital commuting time doing it at home) and finish my coffee listening to the breakfast radio.
8.15am: Grab some breakfast from the Catalyst and chill/catch up on work and emails until 8.50am when I head to my first lecture of the day.
That is my typical morning as an off-campus commuter student!
While some students might get up 15 minutes before a lecture and still make it on time. For me, travel time and planning must take place before I reach my morning lecture. So here is a summary of my experiences and top tips that I have learnt working as a commuter to Edge Hill University over the past three years…
The first thing on my mind when I decided to live at home and commute to university. How will I make, or keep, any friends when I don’t live at university? I must admit this worried me a lot at first but the key thing to remember is that we are all students at the end of the day, everyone is in the same boat! You will find that there are people at university from all walks of life. While this can be daunting, I found there were plenty of opportunities to meet people on my course. You will find that those group work projects or ‘discuss in pairs’ moments become a real opportunity for you to talk to and get to know your future course mates and friends. University is a very accepting place too, so don’t worry about not fitting in.
You will find that there is almost a society or team sport for everyone too. While you may feel out of your comfort zone going along to the first meeting (I can assure you that you are not the first or the last student to have felt like this), this won’t be forever. You will never know until you’ve been!
I found that going to clubs or staying until last orders in the pub caused me stresses of missing the last train home, or not being able to drive home. Therefore, once you have made friendships, see if a trusted friend will let you stay at theirs the night. This guarantees you have somewhere to get back to safely after your night out and takes away the constant checking of train times and travel updates throughout the evening. Also, staying over at friends gives you the chance to enjoy this part of student life, that you may otherwise miss out on at home!
See if there are any other students on your course who live in your area that you can car share with. One of the big benefits of car sharing is that it saves you money! Spread the cost among several people instead of having one person shoulder the burden. It may also be another opportunity to meet someone studying at University from your area! Another bonus is that students who car share to Edge Hill University get priority parking and can guarantee a parking space before 10am.
Check out this link to sign up to join Edge Hill Students Car Share Groups:
https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/sustainability/travel/?tab=car-sharing
Goodbye morning car park blues!
You will want to travel light, but you are going to need books. There is nothing worse than lugging textbooks to and from your car, train or bus every day. The chances are that half of the time, half of what you bring with you isn’t used! I find that when I come to university to study I am fine with just bringing my laptop and a notepad. Sacrifice the books…The chances are the library will have more than one copy of the textbook you need, if not then buy them cheap and leave it at home or use online library resources such as eBooks and journals (honestly, your arms will thank you at the end of the day!).
The gym at Edge Hill University could not be more perfectly located for commuters, right next to the car park. The gym class time table is extensive, and students can make the most of the casual pay as you go style membership (there’s none of this sign up for the year only malarkey) making it super flexible with no ties. I find that by going to the gym straight after my last lecture finishes means I miss the rush hour traffic home (winning) and gives me chance to fit in my workout to my schedule which improves my mood and reduces stress and anxiety with assignments (double winning).
Edge Hill Students get discounted membership rates too. You can find all the details here: https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/edgehillsport/membership/ and all the different activities on offer here: https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/edgehillsport/activities/
Seek extra support if you need it.
I won’t sugar coat it, living at home whilst at university can be an isolating experience. It is normal for commuting students to not feel as though they are immersing themselves in the ‘typical' student lifestyle that can lead to you feeling lonely. If you are reading this and feel as though this applies to you then don’t be afraid to talk to someone about it, you are not alone in this! There are people that will listen. Edge Hill have a brilliant campus life and student services team who are willing to listen to you and who want to help you make adjustments that will enhance your overall university experience. By being proactive and letting people know you are unhappy, they will be able to help you make changes for the better.
Follow the Edge Hill Campus Life Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EHUCampusLife/ and Instagram Account: @campuslifeehu to find out what’s on and help settle in and make the most of uni life!
You only get the university experience once, so let yourself enjoy it!
